I often wonder, like in this case, whether it could occur to people,
learned or not, that the French Paradox may not be related to alcohol
intake at all.
There are a few people living in France who do not drink and it would
be interesting to see their track record for cardiovascular disease.
Traditional Eskimos are not known for excess alcohol intake although
their igloos would make perfect cold storage bunkers. But they eat BLUBBER
etc (No heart disease). How gauche!
Masai warriors of Africa do not know heart disease and their high fat
milk and blood diet is legendary.
I do not know whether the recently deceased Ancel Keys (age 100)
actually followed his own dietary recommendations but, if he did he might
have reached 125 on a diet high in animal fats.
So, in my book, the French Paradox is based on a rather healthy
dietary behaviour, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables,
moderate grain intake, very little polyunsaturated fats and generous
helpings of cardioprotective natural foods such as eggs (3 a day), butter,
lard, cream and the whole caboodle of saturated, high cholesterol
desirables that have sustained generations of people all over the world.
Suggested reading is : Weston A. Price "Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration" (1939).
Personally, I have wanted to say this for some time:
Anyone in the professions who still believes in the cholesterol/animal fat
fairy tale may apply for membership in my "Society of Bumbling Idiots With
An Agenda".
Rapid Response:
A Votre Santé !
I often wonder, like in this case, whether it could occur to people,
learned or not, that the French Paradox may not be related to alcohol
intake at all.
There are a few people living in France who do not drink and it would
be interesting to see their track record for cardiovascular disease.
Traditional Eskimos are not known for excess alcohol intake although
their igloos would make perfect cold storage bunkers. But they eat BLUBBER
etc (No heart disease). How gauche!
Masai warriors of Africa do not know heart disease and their high fat
milk and blood diet is legendary.
I do not know whether the recently deceased Ancel Keys (age 100)
actually followed his own dietary recommendations but, if he did he might
have reached 125 on a diet high in animal fats.
So, in my book, the French Paradox is based on a rather healthy
dietary behaviour, which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables,
moderate grain intake, very little polyunsaturated fats and generous
helpings of cardioprotective natural foods such as eggs (3 a day), butter,
lard, cream and the whole caboodle of saturated, high cholesterol
desirables that have sustained generations of people all over the world.
Suggested reading is : Weston A. Price "Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration" (1939).
Personally, I have wanted to say this for some time:
Anyone in the professions who still believes in the cholesterol/animal fat
fairy tale may apply for membership in my "Society of Bumbling Idiots With
An Agenda".
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests